Award Data

Phase I revealed a high priority need for a human factorial lightweight protective helmet that extends an adequate personal communication system and 360 degree situational awareness, as well as ballistic protection of dismounted soldiers. The proposedresearch addresses two most critical design issues: (a) human factors concerns and, (b) practical concerns voiced by dismounted soldiers. A Design fo ...

This Phase I Small Business Innovation Research proposal will develop porous dielectrics as a low-cost, large-area detector for high spatial resolution x-ray detection. An alternative to microchannel plates, porous dielectric electron amplifiers are formed by a thin layer, generally less than 1 mm, of a low density dielectric. The microscopic pores formed in such material, provide a natural, but m ...

In the phase I program, Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. (ACR) fabricated in situ metallic foams by using a unique water-soluble polymer blend and ACR's Extrusion Freeform Fabrication (EFF) method. When the green parts were heated for binder burnout, thebinder was found to foam and create uniform closed, high-aspect ratio porosity. The freeform fabrication also could create open porosity ranging f ...

For propulsion related applications, materials must be able to demonstrate excellent ablation and oxidation resistance at temperature approaching 3500?C, adequate load bearing capabilities, non-catastrophic failure modes, and ability to withstand transient thermal shock. Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. (ACR) has developed low cost, flexible-manufacturing processes for Zr & Hf-based carbon fiber r ...

A major objection to the use of nuclear energy for space applications is the perceived risk involved in the launching of a fully fueled nuclear reactor. Even when it is pointed out that the fuel is in fact not radioactive, concerns persist. It is acknowledged that to design a reactor able to withstand all conceivable launch accidents would result in an impractical heavy design. To avoid the above ...

Currently available handheld mine detectors are effective in detecting metal mines and pieces of metal used in the firing mechanisms of non-metallic mines. However, these detectors can have a very high false alarm rate due to an inability to discriminatetargets, particularly the types and shapes of small metal-firing mechanism parts, and they are not effective at localizing small metallic targets ...

This Phase I proposal develops a novel technology to automate the process of docking the Shuttle to the International Space Station (ISS). This technology is based on the Laser Dynamic Range Imager (LDRI) and a cross-plane point tracking algorithm. The LDRI provides the range measurement from the laser unit to the field of view for far or near inspection distances. The LDRI is a dynamic adaptation ...

Manned exploration beyond Mars requires very high specific energy. The only potential solution under discussion is fusion propulsion. However, fusion has been ten years away for forty years. We have an available solution that combines new technology with an old concept ¿ ¿Project Orion¿. The proposed MagOrion Propulsion System combines a magnetic sail (MagSail) with conventional small yield (0. ...

The Phase II objective is to develop web-based training that increases Army officers' critical thinking ability. The need for such training was confirmed by the results of Phase I where it was shown that (1) critical thinking (CT) skills are important toBattle Command success, (2) poor CT performance creates serious problems for Command/Control, and (3) military curriculum does not train CT skill ...

The overall objective of the Phase II effort is to improve the Army aviator's ability to perform night missions by developing innovative symbols that capitalize on the advantages of new wide-field of view (WFOV) helmet-mounted displays (HMDs). We willbuild upon the successes of the Phase I effort, in which we identified more than 100 valuable new symbols through mission analyses, developed the sym ...